What does ridicule mean?
Word: Ridicule
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Ridicule means to laugh at someone or something in an unkind way and make them seem foolish. As a noun, ridicule is that unkind laughter.
Synonyms: mock, tease, scorn, deride
Antonyms: respect, admire
How do you spell ridicule?
Syllables: rid - i - cule
Tricky part: The opening is rid, with an i and a single d, so redicule and riddicule are both wrong.
Watch out for: redicule, riddicule, ridecule
Memory tip: Think of wanting to get rid of the mockery: the word opens with rid, never red.
Idioms and Phrases
- hold someone up to ridicule: to make other people laugh at someone unkindly Example: "The cartoon held the minister up to ridicule over his broken promises."
Ridicule in a sentence
Example 1: Some classmates ridiculed Elena's plan for a paper-bag stall, but it sold out before lunch.
Example 2: Do not ridicule a new idea before you have even heard it out.
Example 3: The old film star's strange hat drew ridicule from the newspapers.
Fun Fact
Ridicule comes from the Latin verb ridere, to laugh. Deride and the rarer word risible, meaning laughable, come from the same verb.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word ridicule as used in the sentence:
At first the villagers began to ridicule Marco's homemade windmill, until it lit up the whole school.
a) jeer
b) taunt
c) praise
d) lampoon
Show answer
c) praise. Jeer, taunt and lampoon all poke fun at something; praise is warm approval, the reverse.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
ridiculle
a) l
b) c
c) e
d) u
Show answer
a) l. Only one l comes before the final e, so the doubled l has a stray letter in it.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
The new rule banning phones in the canteen met with cilurdie from the senior students.
a) ridiculous
b) ridiculed
c) radical
d) ridicule
Show answer
d) ridicule. Ridiculed has a second d, ridiculous has an o, an s and a third u but no e, and radical has two a's; ridicule uses the eight letters exactly.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of that word:
1. parady 2. ridicule 3. comedien 4. cartune
a) a funny drawing in a newspaper
b) a performer who makes an audience laugh
c) a funny copy of a writer's or artist's style
d) mocking laughter aimed at a person
Show answer
d) mocking laughter aimed at a person. Ridicule is the only word in this list written correctly, and it names laughter meant to belittle.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. If people ridicule a plan, they ____.
a) laugh at it as silly
b) write it down neatly
c) ask polite questions about it
d) agree with it fully
Show answer
a) laugh at it as silly
2. Pick the action that shows ridicule.
a) laughing loudly at a friend's accent
b) helping a friend with fractions
c) lending a friend your pencil
d) clapping after a friend's song
Show answer
a) laughing loudly at a friend's accent
